Cardinals' Chandler jumping over the competition

Jacksonville’s Dominique Chandler leaps over a hurdle Monday during the 100-meter hurdles race in the Onslow County meet in Swansboro. Chandler won the race while also winning the 300 hurdles and the triple jump.

John Althouse/The Daily News

By Chris Miller-Prep Sports Writer/The Daily News

Published: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 09:45 AM.

SWANSBORO – It was a first experience in the 100-meter hurdles that Dominique Chandler hasn’t forgotten but one the Jacksonville High junior can now look back on and laugh.

“At my first meet, I almost won but after the last hurdle I was like ‘all right, I’m done’ and I stopped after that,” Chandler said. “Then I saw in the corner of my eye a girl passed me. I didn’t know you had to run to the finish line.

“And when I tried to run to chase her, I fell. My first race and I didn’t fall over a hurdle but I fell over during the run.”

Like Chandler, Jacksonville coach Curt Dowdy can also have fun at the thought of her first race mistake before realizing how far she has come in the event.

“She’s a competitor,” Dowdy said. “She’s very competitive and that in itself makes a big difference.”

It’s safe to say that Chandler has used that first race as a learning experience. Two years later, she finds herself as the top 100 hurdles runner in the county, a title she earned Monday during the Onslow County meet at Swansboro after she recorded a time of 16.1 seconds to capture first place.

The 16-year-old Chandler also won the gold in the 300 hurdles in 48.4 seconds and took first in the triple jump at 34 feet, 2 inches. She finished fourth in the long jump at 15 feet.

Chandler’s three first-place performances along with her fourth place finish helped Jacksonville end in third place in the county meet.

“I think Dominique can go to states in all four of these events,” Dowdy said. “She just needs to continue to work and stay competitive.”

Chandler has provided the Cardinals with plenty of points during meets, given that she’s a first-place contender in each one.

However, the 100 hurdles is her standout event. Chandler won the regional title in the 100 hurdles last year as a sophomore and has yet to lose in the event this year.

Dowdy said Chandler is this good in the 100 hurdles because she is not only a good athlete, she also works hard on her trade.

Chandler agreed.

Chandler simply is motivated to do her best. She has a determination she said that won’t allow her to fail.

“Sometimes you feel ill, but you have to push yourself,” Chandler said. “We had a meet where I was sick, but I actually think that helped me out more because it pushed me to go faster. I wanted to get it done and over with.”

But Chandler doesn’t just display her work ethic in meets. She also strives to do her best in practice.

“After practice, when everyone is done, I’m always doing the hurdles,” Chandler said. “Coach Dowdy always asks me if I’m tired and I tell him that I’m not tired. I just want to keep going.”

And even when Chandler leaves practice and goes home, her mind is still on the hurdles.

“When I go to sleep, I think about my steps,” she said.

Chandler is only in her third year of being a track and field athlete, having first tried the sport as a freshman because she wanted an extracurricular activity to put on her college resume.

She said she had always been a fast runner, but that the jumping part was difficult at first.

“I was like ‘This is hard,’ but my best friend made me stick with it and what happened was I realized track was my thing,” Chandler said. “I like challenging myself. I was like ‘I can get better at this,’ and that’s what I did.”

Even to this day, Chandler says the most important thing about the hurdles is her steps. She goes over them all the time in her head.

Figuring out those steps toward the hurdle, though, isn’t the only thing Chandler has improved on en route to being a solid athlete on the track.

“Dominique is actually running the 100 hurdles really well because we’ve also worked on driving her arm to where she can pull the trail leg a little faster,” Dowdy said. “She has really improved on that tremendously.”

And while Chandler enjoys being a strong hurdles competitor, she has just as much fun doing her other events.

She said she enjoys the jumping events because they are “like hop scotch, which is kind of fun.”

“I think I bring the energy we need to help the team win,” Chandler said. “I know they count on me to bring in points.”

Chandler also helped Jacksonville’s 4x200 relay team finish second in the state last year, but she has not been asked to run relays this season so that she can concentrate on her individual events.

And that’s just fine with her.

Chandler wants to win a state title this season, particular in the hurdles.

SWANSBORO – It was a first experience in the 100-meter hurdles that Dominique Chandler hasn’t forgotten but one the Jacksonville High junior can now look back on and laugh.

“At my first meet, I almost won but after the last hurdle I was like ‘all right, I’m done’ and I stopped after that,” Chandler said. “Then I saw in the corner of my eye a girl passed me. I didn’t know you had to run to the finish line.

“And when I tried to run to chase her, I fell. My first race and I didn’t fall over a hurdle but I fell over during the run.”

Like Chandler, Jacksonville coach Curt Dowdy can also have fun at the thought of her first race mistake before realizing how far she has come in the event.

“She’s a competitor,” Dowdy said. “She’s very competitive and that in itself makes a big difference.”

It’s safe to say that Chandler has used that first race as a learning experience. Two years later, she finds herself as the top 100 hurdles runner in the county, a title she earned Monday during the Onslow County meet at Swansboro after she recorded a time of 16.1 seconds to capture first place.

The 16-year-old Chandler also won the gold in the 300 hurdles in 48.4 seconds and took first in the triple jump at 34 feet, 2 inches. She finished fourth in the long jump at 15 feet.

Chandler’s three first-place performances along with her fourth place finish helped Jacksonville end in third place in the county meet.

“I think Dominique can go to states in all four of these events,” Dowdy said. “She just needs to continue to work and stay competitive.”

Chandler has provided the Cardinals with plenty of points during meets, given that she’s a first-place contender in each one.

However, the 100 hurdles is her standout event. Chandler won the regional title in the 100 hurdles last year as a sophomore and has yet to lose in the event this year.

Dowdy said Chandler is this good in the 100 hurdles because she is not only a good athlete, she also works hard on her trade.

Chandler agreed.

Chandler simply is motivated to do her best. She has a determination she said that won’t allow her to fail.

“Sometimes you feel ill, but you have to push yourself,” Chandler said. “We had a meet where I was sick, but I actually think that helped me out more because it pushed me to go faster. I wanted to get it done and over with.”

But Chandler doesn’t just display her work ethic in meets. She also strives to do her best in practice.

“After practice, when everyone is done, I’m always doing the hurdles,” Chandler said. “Coach Dowdy always asks me if I’m tired and I tell him that I’m not tired. I just want to keep going.”

And even when Chandler leaves practice and goes home, her mind is still on the hurdles.

“When I go to sleep, I think about my steps,” she said.

Chandler is only in her third year of being a track and field athlete, having first tried the sport as a freshman because she wanted an extracurricular activity to put on her college resume.

She said she had always been a fast runner, but that the jumping part was difficult at first.

“I was like ‘This is hard,’ but my best friend made me stick with it and what happened was I realized track was my thing,” Chandler said. “I like challenging myself. I was like ‘I can get better at this,’ and that’s what I did.”

Even to this day, Chandler says the most important thing about the hurdles is her steps. She goes over them all the time in her head.

Figuring out those steps toward the hurdle, though, isn’t the only thing Chandler has improved on en route to being a solid athlete on the track.

“Dominique is actually running the 100 hurdles really well because we’ve also worked on driving her arm to where she can pull the trail leg a little faster,” Dowdy said. “She has really improved on that tremendously.”

And while Chandler enjoys being a strong hurdles competitor, she has just as much fun doing her other events.

She said she enjoys the jumping events because they are “like hop scotch, which is kind of fun.”

“I think I bring the energy we need to help the team win,” Chandler said. “I know they count on me to bring in points.”

Chandler also helped Jacksonville’s 4x200 relay team finish second in the state last year, but she has not been asked to run relays this season so that she can concentrate on her individual events.

And that’s just fine with her.

Chandler wants to win a state title this season, particular in the hurdles.